Safety light curtains are invisible photoelectric barriers that safeguard automated workspaces. When someone obstructs the light curtain, machinery can be signalled to stop. Say maintenance/downtime needs to occur with the machinery, and an operator needs to pass the light curtain to work on the machinery while it is stopped. To ensure optimal safety practices are adhered to, the machinery will need to be halted. So, if the light curtain (and thus the machinery) were to automatically restart, the worker will be in a compromised and unsafe scenario and is at high risk of injury.
To ensure that this does not occur, Fortress Photoelectric Blocking (PBL) interlocks have been designed to prevent these scenarios from occuring. PBL interlocks are a simple retrofit for existing light curtains, and do not require any wiring to function. When a key is present, the light curtain functions as normal. When the key is turned and released, a blocking plate swings down and will obstruct the beams of the light curtain. In efforts to further the protective capabilities of PBL interlocks, the key barrel can be padlocked shut.
